The Decision
by Awesomenessx3
Summary: What led The Batter to leave his family and decide to purify the world? What was his life like before he became the purifier we know? - Short one-shot.


The monochrome dressed man, known as the Batter to his family, sat in The Room quietly, his eyes watching the child and his wife. The Batter had never before really thought about how they came to be. Never thought there was something strange about being created by a little boy who they then had to care for. Now, it wasn't like Batter didn't like being a parent to little Hugo or husband to Vader Eloha. In fact, he loved it. It was just that lately, his mind had been overthinking these things. Why did they never leave The Room? He knew that there were other zones. Vader had told him about them and their guardians. The man vaguely remembered those so-called Guardians. He'd met them once before and to them he was still known as The King. Back then, he still dressed differently. The change of attire had come with the restlessness in the man's mind. That was around the time Hugo had let him read his comic book and one of the characters in that book had struck a chord deep within the gentle man. The Ballman was a weird little character, his antics strange. But somehow… somehow, the Batter found that he liked Boxxer's nemesis. So it wasn't long after that the Batter requested he'd get a new name and attire. Hugo had granted him his wish which resulted in what he was now. His cheeks bore two black lines under his eyes. His eyes themselves were mostly hidden by the black cap he wore.

"Batter, dear." The man sat up straight when he heard his name, his head lifting up to find Vader standing in front of him, a slightly worried frown on her face. He stood up, his eyes and eyebrows hidden from her. "Are you alright, love? You look sullen." She stated, one of her hands softly touching his cheek. The Batter had known Vader for a long while but even now his breath hitched at the contact. "I'm fine." He managed, his own hand reaching up to brush a strand of the woman's hair out of her face, causing her to smile a little.

He ignored his growing urge to be cold towards her. That had come with his change, as well. Ah, now that he thought about it, a lot had changed lately and the Batter wasn't sure if it had been for the better or not. He felt as if… something was trying to get to him. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Don't worry about me, Vader." He told her and she sighed. The man wasn't the only one who was changing. As of late, it was harder to read The Queen. She seemed to be more focused on the zones every day, seeming to forget about Hugo. Although whenever the man brought this up, she would claim it was all for their child. Batter wouldn't say anything about it then afterwards. Not for a while. He feared she would get angry at him otherwise and if she did… well, the man wasn't sure if he would be able to keep his own frustrations in.

* * *

His empty stare was focused on the door. If you could call it that. It was a black hole in the all-white room that dared him to leave. The child asleep on his stomach was what stopped him mostly. He sat very still, his hand resting on Hugo's back to keep him warm and protect him from the night terrors the poor kid was subjected to more and more frequently. This was the reason why the Batter stayed up longer and longer to the point where he didn't sleep at all anymore. He made sure he was there for the boy. Vader had pushed him- no, _guilt_ him into it. Subtly, sure. But she had done it and it was more than logical that The Batter was going to be frustrated. Now, it wasn't like he didn't want to do it. At first he had even offered it himself but the more his wife pushed him into doing it, the more he started to loathe it.

It was then and there he made a decision.

He shifted, moving Hugo into his arms as he stood up carefully, carrying the boy to his bed as quietly as the man could manage and when he put him down, The Batter took a good, long look. It was going to be the last for a long while, he suspected. His finger caressed the boy's cheek for a moment before the man straightened up and forced himself to leave the child. He grabbed his bat, glanced once more at his beautiful wife.. what he was about to do was so very hard. But it was necessary. It was better for their family. The Batter was a man who took care of his family and so, he would stop at nothing to protect them and make them happy.

And with that thought, he left The Room.


End file.
